Sad truths are emerging from the release of more than 25,000 text messages that were exchanged illegally and secretly among five members of Cincinnati City Council.

First, the content of the messages, no matter how crude and juvenile, are unlikely to shift allegiances or sway opinions. If you were a fan of council members P.G. Sittenfeld, Chris Seelbach, Tamaya Dennard, Greg Landsman and Wendell Young before the big text message reveal, you are probably still on their team. If you disliked any of the "gang of five," this is just more gasoline with which to burn them in effigy.

Because of the sophomoric nature of most of the texts, many residents have mistakenly dismissed this entire episode. But let's not forget that laws were broken. These laws were designed to protect citizens from backroom deals, behind-the-scenes scheming and corruption.

Make no mistake, this started out as a power play. Imagine how long this might have gone on or what else these council members might have discussed privately if no one had pulled back the covers. Maybe it starts as potshots and snarky comments about their political foes but later evolves into more sophisticated conversations about city policy. Too many people have become distracted by the soap opera aspects of this case and have taken the attitude of "there's nothing to see here." But there's plenty there if you care to look and think deep enough.

Cincinnati City council members Chris Seelbach, left, and P.G. Sittenfeld talk outside of the Hamilton County Courthouse following a hearing for a proposed settlement in the lawsuit involving secret texts and email, Thursday, March 7, 2019, in Judge Robert Ruehlman's courtroom in Cincinnati. (Photo: Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer)

Second, and perhaps most important, the texts affirm how deep into the cesspool our political discourse continues to sink. But instead of our government leaders showing us the way out of the pigsty, they only take us deeper into the filthy hole.

As a nation and a city, too many of our elected leaders have lost all perspective. Politics is no longer primarily about achieving the best outcomes for constituents (no matter who they voted for); it's become deeply personal and personality driven.

Our leaders show a stunning inability to separate political agendas from human decency. Forget restoring civility to politics; how about a little humanity?

Residents of the West End could care less whether Mayor John Cranley or Seelbach share a beer after work. They're worried about being gentrified out of their neighborhood. People who rely on public transportation to get back and forth to work aren't focused on a possible 2021 mayoral race between Sittenfeld and Councilman Christopher Smitherman; they want buses that won't break down on them mid-route today.

When elected officials let personal vendettas and personality clashes blight their effectiveness working for those who put them in office, they have truly lost their way. It seems that politicians at all levels can no longer disagree on policy without it becoming tribal and personal. Disagreements about tax breaks, transportation, poverty, you name it, have now become grounds for character judgments and assassinations. You're not just wrong because of your differing viewpoint, you are immoral, deranged or in some cases, downright evil. To move forward productively, this City Council needs to love the people of Cincinnati more than they might despise each other.

But our elected officials aren't solely to blame. That lets voters off the hook way too easily. After all, who hired these people?

Until voters demand better - calling our elected officials to a higher level of maturity and moral decency - and hold them accountable, we will continue to be frustrated by the same old politics. If you want different from your government, vote differently. For many residents of Cincinnati, where voter turnout is abysmal, that means actually voting.

Cincinnati voters also need to be the change they seek. They need to see those on the opposing side of any issue not as stupid or venal or enemies – but as fellow citizens with whom they disagree while sharing concern for and love of our city.

The problems don't stop there. We also can't defend the wrongful actions of politicians just because they're in "our tribe" or because we may have voted for them. We cannot let the desire to win at all costs cloud our judgment and basic human decency. Wrong is wrong – whether Republican or Democrat, independent or Charterite. If voters downplay improprieties, politicians will avoid making any real changes. We will continue to argue about racism, sexism, homophobia, xenophobia and every other what-about-ism and phobia, yet never address the city's most pressing problems.

It's down to you, Cincinnati voters. If you don't like the tone, or texts, coming out of City Hall, stop enabling it.